Syracuse, N.Y. — The Syracuse University basketball team will play four exhibition games in Canada later this week.

It's the first summer exhibition tour that the SU basketball team has taken since 1990.

And when asked why he scheduled the trip to Canada for this year's Orange, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim gave a guarded answer. Actually, Boeheim's answer wasn't guarded. It was the guards.

Syracuse is coming off an appearance in last year's Final Four, but the Orange's starting backcourt of Michael Carter-Williams and Brandon Triche is gone. Carter-Williams entered the NBA Draft after a sterling sophomore season and went in the NBA lottery to the Philadelphia 76ers. Triche, who started every game in his SU career, recently signed to play for a pro team in Italy.

Looking at new starters at both guard spots, Boeheim knew the summer tour of Canada would be highly beneficial.

"If Michael (Carter-Williams) had come back, it wouldn't be as important because you'd have your point guard coming back,'' Boeheim said. "Now, you've got a new point guard and we're replacing a four-year starter in Brandon.''

Not only is Syracuse looking at new starters at both guard positions, the candidates for those jobs have very little playing experience at the college level.

Tyler Ennis, a 6-2 freshman out of St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, N.J., figures to be the Orange's new starting point guard. Michael Gbinije, who sat out last season after transferring from Duke, and Trevor Cooney, who redshirted his freshman season before playing last year at SU, are the top choices at the two-guard position. Gbinije appeared in just 19 games, averaging 1.7 points in his freshman year at Duke. Cooney played in 39 games last year and scored 3.4 points per game.

Ron Patterson, a 6-3 combo guard out of Brewster (N.H.) Academy, could vie for time at both spots.

"For the backcourt, this is a huge trip. A huge trip,'' Boeheim said. "The frontline guys, they're a pretty experienced group. For the guards, this is a great learning experience. So really for the guards, it was important.''

Syracuse will play McGill University and Bishop's University in Montreal on Wednesday and Thursday. Then the Orange will head to Ottawa for games against Carleton University and the University of Ottawa on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

Syracuse's frontcourt includes several experienced players, including senior forward C.J. Fair, who led the Orange in both scoring and rebounding last year; junior center Rakeem Christmas, who started every game last season and 35 as a freshman; and senior center Baye Moussa Keita, who has played in 110 games in his three years at SU. Meanwhile, Jerami Grant and Dajuan Coleman both started games as freshmen last year.

"It's not as important for the frontcourt guys, but it'll still be good for them,'' Boeheim said. "Even for C.J. He was not the first option last year. Now, he's the first option.''

These games in Canada won't be easy for the Orange, which is fine by Boeheim.

Syracuse will play several tough games early in the season, including a trip to the Maui Invitational followed later by December games against Indiana, St. John's and Villanova.
Last week, Carleton and Ottawa both beat Texas Christian University by double-figures. Boeheim wants his young backcourt to play against good competition prior to the season before running into tough games that count.

"If we had fairly easy opening games, then going to Maui, it could be the first hard game,'' Boeheim said. "Now, we'll have hard games. These teams are very good. It'll be very, very good for us.''